


The Wooing Skills Of Leo Elster

by toothIess



Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, He really gives it his all, Leo doesn't know how to express his feelings to Mattie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 11:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14976533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toothIess/pseuds/toothIess
Summary: The only thing that Leo is certain of is that things between him and Mattie are real. He goes through a great length to show her his proper wooing skills. Well he tries at least. But will it be enough?





	1. An idea

The sound of an alarm blaring caused Leo to growl in his sleep as he felt how Mattie moved in his arms so that she could turn it off. In an instant she had climbed out of bed and it hit Leo how cold it was without having her so closely pressed against him.

"Is it really necessary to wake up _this_ early?" he asked in dismay as he buried his head under the covers while Mattie bustled around the room to get ready. "I’m certain that no human is awake at this ungodly hour."

"Leo, it’s only six thirty," she told him. "And I need to wake up at that time if I want to make it to uni in time. You know how important that is to me."

"Of course I do. That doesn’t mean that I prefer to be awake at this hour though," he countered with a scoff. He hadn’t been able to sleep much that night because he had been plagued with a couple of new memories which had confused him to no end. He had written them down in a notepad which Laura had provided him so that he could keep track of them and look back at everything.

Mattie laughed, a sound which still cause Leo’s stomach to twirl. "You can always fall asleep again while I’m gone," she suggested wisely. "I’m well aware that you barely slept at all last night because you were constantly tossing and turning which kind of kept me awake as well."

That made Leo sit up right in the bed so that he could see how Mattie was buttoning a red and pink blouse. "I’m sorry for that, Mattie. You must know that it’s never my intention to keep you awake as well and -"

"Leo, don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m not upset. It does pain me to see you struggling like this by your past now that you’re adjusting as a human and I wish that I could do more to you help out."

"Mattie, you can’t. You’re already doing enough for me. Let’s not forget that you’re the reason why I’m allowed to stay here in the first place."

"That’s also because my mum is pretty fond of you as well and she knows that you have nowhere else to go now that you’re a human. This is where you can stay while you can slowly find your place in this world again." Meanwhile she had finished with putting on her black jeans which was so Mattie, and it was something that she was wearing quite a lot lately. She turned towards him and brought up her hand to cup his face and stroke his cheekbones with a loving smile.

"Do you have a long day today?" he asked her.

"Not quite. I only have a couple of intense classes today and I should be back around three thirty. Can you hold on by yourself for so long?" she asked in a teasing manner.

Leo scoffed. "That is not that long, Mattie, but nonetheless I’ll be counting down the hours until you’re home again."

Her smile enlarged at his answer. "Good. I’ll be back before you know it. "

"Have a good day, Mattie," he said while he briefly kissed her.

"You too, Leo. I’ll see you later."

She flashed him another smile that turned his guts before she walked out of the and left him there all by himself. Leo could hear that the rest of the household was already waking up as well and preparing for their days.

He took in a deep breath while his mind took control. There was something that Leo Elster was a hundred percent convinced about which was that he wanted make his relationship with Mattie work and that he needed it to progress. There was just one thing; Leo had never actually been in a serious relationship before.

There had only been one woman in his life before Mattie which had been Hester and that had turned into a disaster in his books. He had gotten carried away with his emotions at the time and had believed that what he had felt had been something more than a platonic friendship, but he had been wrong. Back then Leo already was controlled by his overwhelming and confusing feelings for Mattie which had scared him at the time. Still he never really been in a relationship before so he basically had zero experience when it came to these things.

He wanted things between him and Mattie go different which was why he had to find a way to let her know that this wasn’t an impelling and that his feelings for her were sincere. Only how was he going to let Mattie know that this was the real thing without scaring her away by accidentally coming off too strong or something because he was desperate to proof himself.

They had only just started dating about five days ago and everything about their relationship was new and intense. Leo knew that neither he or Mattie were exactly experts when it came to a serious relationship and they just took things slowly to see how it would go. Still Leo wanted to make a statement.

Mattie Hawkins had been the woman who had taken a hold on him ever since he had first met her as Hubot97 and she had ran away from him. She had fascinated him from the very start and even then Leo had kind of wanted to know this young woman who seemed to know so much about headcracking. Over the years he had gotten to know her better, but now he was finally given the chance to love Mattie Hawkins with his whole heart and he wasn’t going to waste that opportunity.

Leo’s palms already felt sweaty when he thought about what he could possibly do to let Mattie know that he didn’t regret what had happened between the two of them. He wanted to know every little thing about her.

He let out a small sigh as he closed his eyes. He surely was more than head over heels with Mattie which was why he needed to come up with a proper way to let Mattie know that he is serious about their blooming relationship. But how was he going to show her an affection of his love? Leo wasn’t sure where to begin.


	2. Advice

Leo had to ignore the strong beating in his chest as he sat there at the table in the kitchen and listened to how Sophie and Sam were having a conversation with each other. Laura had already left for work but Toby was still upstairs while he got ready for another day of school.

"Sophie, how do these princes in your fairy tale books usually let the princesses know that they love them?" Leo suddenly blurted out and surprised himself with his own question. He blushed slightly and hoped that the girl wouldn’t understand why he was asking her this.

He had been thinking about how else he could possibly ask these questions in a subtle way without giving him away. Now that Leo was here as a human there was no one else outside of this family that he could turn to which only gave him limited options. Normally he would’ve asked Max or Mia but they weren’t exactly relationship experts either and they weren’t here so that wasn’t an option.

Leo had also considered about perhaps searching for a solution online about how to handle all of this and he had given in, only the internet couldn’t really provide him with a good solution since they didn’t know what Mattie preferred or what she was like. This meant that he had to do this on his own if he wanted to win Mattie over entirely.

She gave him a thorough look. "Sometimes they defeat dragons or they break an enchantment that’s holding these princesses captive," she answered.

Leo frowned heavily as he lowered his spoon of cereal. "That sounds pretty boring and unrealistic."

"I’m sure that they also write them poetry whenever they want to court them to let them know how much they love them. It is considered to be romantic to women."

"Poetry?" he repeated unsure.

"Well, that’s one thing that they can do. There is also the option of showering them with expensive gifts like jewellery which they can lavish the princesses with. If they were to go for a more simple gesture they can give them flowers."

 _Flowers._ Now that was something that Leo could do which shouldn’t proof to be that difficult. There should be a way where he could access those if he thought about it.

"Do women really like flowers?" Sam asked with interest.

Sophie nodded a few times. "Yes, they do. It’s a gesture from the heart. In fact they would even take them out sometimes as well to show them around. Like for example to a park or into the the towns. It’s the thought that counts really."

That was another thing that Leo could do. He could take Mattie somewhere where they would be together without the curious eyes of the Hawkins family. In truth that was already something that Leo was looking forward to because he absolute desired to spend more time alone with Mattie. He just had to think of a suitable place where he could take Mattie and which she would like which proved to be a little struggle since he wasn’t that familiar with what was located in this neighborhood. This meant that he had to be creative.

Sophie turned her attention to Leo and gave him a certain gaze. "Why are you interested in all this?" she asked but then brought out a grin. "Oh. Is it because of Mattie?"

Leo wasn’t sure how to react to that because Sophie had apparently seen straight through his act and was amused by his struggling. "Is it that obvious?" he asked as he tried to keep his voice steady. "I really like your sister and I need her to know that."

"It kind of is since you’re constantly smiling whenever Mattie’s around," Sophie made clear with a smug grin as she linked her hands together. "Let me tell you that Mattie has been moping about you for the last year and that the reason why she’s been in such a high spirit lately is because of you and that you are here with her."

He licked his lips. "I’m kind of new at this whole relationship thing and I don’t want to screw this up. Should I just shower her with gifts or something?"

"I’m sure that Mattie will like whatever you give her as long as you put some effort into it to let her know that you care," Sophie suggested and Leo realized that she was far too clever about this subject for someone of her age was supposed to be. Clearly she had read way too many fairy tales during her childhood. "You are capable of coming up with things that Mattie will enjoy. You know her better than you think and she will appreciate your gesture whatever it is."

"Maybe you can make her a drawing," Sam suggested as he held out a drawing he had made the other day which existed of something that Leo recognized as a hippopotamus.

Leo pressed his lips together. "I can’t exactly draw," he made clear.

"Do you want me to draw Mattie something?" Sam insisted eagerly. "I’m pretty good."

He shook his head and smiled faintly. "I don’t think that a drawing is something Mattie will like, but I appreciate your offer."

"So what are you going to do then, Leo?" Sophie curiously asked.

He paused for a moment as he pondered about it. He opened his mouth to say something when Toby stormed into the kitchen with great haste and interrupted their conversation. There was no way that Leo could talk with Toby about this which was why he kept his lips pressed together instead.

"Sophie, you need to get ready for school so that I can take you there," he told her as he began to prepare himself some lunch that he could bring with him.

"I was just helping Leo and - " Sophie responded.

"Sophie, it’s fine," Leo carefully cut her off with a gentle smile. "You did help me and I’m sure that I can carry on by myself from here. Your assistance is much appreciated. Thank you."

His answer did reassure Sophie who gave him a brief hug before she ran up the stairs. Toby stared at Leo in confusion for a few short moments because he was uncertain about what he had just happened, but he didn’t say anything about it and continued to prepare his lunch.

"So no drawing then?" Sam asked once more.

Leo smiled as he eyed the young synth which reminded him so much of himself. "No, but you are more than capable to draw whatever you like by yourself. There are some things that I need to do." He had finished his cereal and placed the empty bowl and his mug in the dishwasher.

Only he had no idea how to go about it exactly from here.


	3. Desperation

Since Leo had arrived at the Hawkins house he had been gifted with some secondhand clothes which Laura had stored away in a spare room since he had nothing else to wear since he came here. He literally been empty-handed but thankfully now he at least had a choice about what he could wear since the box had existed of at least six different outfits. 

Still these clothes weren’t entirely in their best condition and Leo wondered if they would be suitable for this date that he wanted to take Mattie on. He needed to make a lasting impression on her which was why he was insisted that his clothes needed to be of high quality material which he didn’t have her. This meant that he had no other choice than to go and visit a store so that he could purchase some new clothes for himself. And while he was there he had the opportunity to find a proper gift for Mattie as well. 

Even now Leo still had access to a former credit card which his father had given to him before he had taken his own life. On it was enough of money which his father had stored on there which were only supposed to be for emergencies. In Leo’s eyes this was quite a matter of urgency because he needed to woo Mattie now that he was given the chance. The best thing about this credit card was how his father had made sure that it would never trace back to the Elster family which meant no one could see the activity on there which reassured him a little.

Leo had put on a simple outfit as he trotted down the stairs, but halted when he reached the front door. Since his arrival here he hadn’t ventured further than the garden and he no idea which stores which near and in which direction they were located. He hadn’t gone out by himself as a human yet and he was kind of anxious about taking this step because he wasn’t certain how other people were going to react to him and if he could pass as an official human or not. Still he needed to go if he wanted to get something for Mattie which was more important than this doubt that he was feeling. 

He took in a deep breath as he stepped out of the house and into the rather chill April weather. It sort of amazed him to see that it wasn’t raining because this was London after all and the weather was known to be unpredictable. It could rain at any given moment and all British people were aware of this. 

Leo buried his hands into the pocket of his coat as he headed into the direction that Mattie had given him a few days ago. She hadn’t exactly told him what he could find down there, but he knew that there was some sort of civilization and shops in that direction. Leo cursed at himself when he figured that he could’ve just used the navigation setting on his phone which would guide him in the right direction and he decided to do that instead because he didn’t have that much time left until Mattie would return home from her classes and he still needed to think of a place where he could take her afterwards. His options were pretty limited since he didn’t have a car but perhaps they could use Mattie’s car instead. If they had access of the car that meant that he could take Mattie to the beach so that they could get some fresh air together. 

He followed the navigation on his phone which told him that there was a small shopping center located not to far from where the Hawkins lived. It felt strange to Leo to outside by himself again after everything that had happened and having been in a coma for a year. He hadn’t used much of muscles in a long time and the walk to the shopping center seemed to be as far as his legs would take him before they began to protest. 

Within ten minutes he had reached his destination and saw that the place wasn’t packed with people which was a small relief. He headed inside and into the first clothes shop that crossed his path. He wanted to draw as little attention to himself as he could. He went to the man section and quietly browsed some of the clothes and quickly realized that none of these clothes were something that he would wear. These were more created for hip and modern teenagers which he wasn’t. He needed something more casual than this.

"Can I help you, sir?" 

The sound of a woman’s voice made him abruptly turn around and he exhaled when it saw that it was only a store clerk who wanted to aid him with his search. Leo had tried to blend in with the rest of the people in the store, but apparently he had been more oblivious than he thought, or the woman could really see the troubled expression on his face which told her that he had no idea what he was doing. 

He licked his lips. "I’m looking for something casual, but not too obvious," he answered and cleared his throat. 

There was a slight frown on the girl’s forehead as she considered his request. "Well absolutely. We happen to have something that should be suitable for that. They’re over there," she answered and gestured him towards the right area. "Are you more of a suits person or black jeans and blazers?" 

Leo wasn’t exactly sure what kind of person he was, but he had never put much effort into his clothing. He had spent years on the run in which he had pretty much only wore clothes that made it easy to move until they would fall apart. This time he wanted to show Mattie that he was serious by putting effort into his appearance. Still he needed clothes that were suited for him and that he felt comfortable in. 

"Black jeans and a blazer," he replied not too convinced but the girl made no comment on that. Instead she searched through a clothing rack until she found what she was looking for and held it out to him. "Something like this, sir?" 

The clothes were indeed casual, but rather simple as well which had to do for his date with Mattie. He didn’t want to overdo it with his clothing and a suit wouldn’t be appropriate for taking her to the beach. 

"That will do nicely," Leo replied slowly and with his eyes squinted slightly which only widened the girl’s grin. Perhaps she found his struggling somewhat amusing because it was something she had seen countless of times so far. 

"Would you like to try them on first?" 

He shook his head. "No, the size seems about right. I’m sure that will fit. I’ll get them," he said but not before he grabbed a few jumpers from a nearby clothing rack since he was here anyway. He needed some clothes for himself which were his own. 

He could tell that his heart rate had elevated from this effort that he had put into his wooing attempts so far and how he was about it. 

The woman made no remark because he didn’t want to fit the clothes and guided him over the cash register. Leo was slightly nervous as he used the credit card that his father had gifted and anxiously held his breath until his purchase had succeeded, because this wouldn’t trace back to him. Leo didn’t even know if people were still after him now that he was human and separated from his family. 

"Here you go. Have a lovely day, sir," the store clerk told told him with the same gleeful smile on her lips.

Leo copied a somewhat similar smile so that she wouldn’t expect anything. "Thank you. You too," he said with a steady voice as he turned around and headed to the exit of the shop.


	4. Effort

Leo was still somewhat amazed with how he had successfully completed the first part of his plan of taking Mattie on a first official date because he now owned some casual clothes which he could wear during the occasion. Sure they were casual clothes and perhaps a bit too much for something as simple as going to the beach, and he knew that Mattie would at least make a comment about that, but it would show her that he was serious about her and their relationship because he was trying.

This meant that he still had to find something that he should gift Mattie when she would come home from her classes within only a matter of hours. If he give her something simple at least Mattie would know for certain that Leo wasn’t playing about and that his feelings for her were sincere. He should be able to find something like that for Mattie here since this shopping center offered more stores than necessary and the size of it sort of overwhelmed him. He couldn’t even remember ever visiting one by himself before and this had to be the first time that he was actually searching a gift for someone else. Leo lacked all experience and was sort of a disaster.

He stopped dead in his tracks when his path crossed with that of a small flower shop and he remembered how Sophie had told him that princes would often gift flowers when they wanted to court their princesses so this wasn’t exactly an original idea, but it was the closest that Leo could do since apparently flowers were still used as a courting gift in this century which reassured him a little.

Leo didn’t know anything about flowers and their meanings and what he could possibly gift to Mattie. He didn’t want to come off too strong or scare her away by accidentally proclaiming his undying love for her or something. Their relationship was still too new for that and they were taking things rather slowly.

Once again the store clerk of the shop caught eye of him. This time it was a middle-aged man with long graying hair who brought out his standard smile when he approached Leo and saw the frown between his brows.

"First time here, sir?" he asked him.

Leo swallowed thickly. "What gave it away?"

He laughed. "Clearly the confusion and fear written in your eyes while you’re taking in all of these flowers. I can tell that you’re here to impress someone very special and that you want it to mean something. I can help you with that. What is this person like?"

His questions kind of surprised Leo and he blinked. "She is very smart, witty, incredibly beautiful, kind and caring," he said with a fond smile as he thought back of Mattie.

The man laughed again. "She sounds like a whole package. I can find some flowers which will be suited for someone like her. I’m certain that she will appreciate flowers like these."

Leo watched how the man began to rummage through his shop to pick different flowers from all over his shop and bound them together into one bouquet like he has done thousands of times before.

"Is she allergic to anything?" he asked her.

Leo’s eyes bulged in their sockets and his throat thickened. _How didn’t he know if Mattie was allergic to any flowers?_ Leo had no idea since their relationship had only just started and they had never talked about flowers before. He wasn’t aware of Mattie being allergic to anything at all and he felt like a failure for not knowing this primary information about her since she was his girlfriend after all. He didn’t want her to bloat up or something after he would hand her the flowers because she would never forgive him for that if that were to happen.

"I don’t think that she is," he hesitantly replied, and hoped that was the right answer to give.

The owner of the shop flashed him a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry about it too much. If she indeed is allergic to these flowers she’ll probably sneeze a bit, but that’s it. I haven’t heard many complaints about costumers being allergic to these flowers that they purchased here much and I’m certain your special someone won’t be either. " While he was talking he was busy making the bouquet at the same time and Leo watched him with a feeling of unease and prayed that would indeed be the case for Mattie. Else his relationship was over while it had only just started and that was something he needed to prevent.

It took the man a good five minutes to make a nice looking bouquet and it didn’t matter to Leo how much it costed at that moment. Money wasn’t much of an issue today since this day was all about lavishing Mattie which he considered to be an emergency.

He once again used the same credit card to pay for it as he took over the bouquet and was able to smell the strong scent of different flowers which was something that Mattie would surely appreciate.

"Good luck with charming your lady of her feet," the owner told him. "I’m certain she’ll be amazed."

Leo could only smile at the man’s kindness and words. "I’m sure that she will too. Thank you." With that he quickly left the shop and realized that he needed to do one final thing before he would head back to the Hawkins house which was finding another simple gift for Mattie.

Sophie had told him that poetry was something that women adored, but Leo had no talent when it came to writing his feelings into words. Besides he couldn’t even rhyme two words together which didn’t give him much reassurance in this situation. If he wanted to give Mattie poetry he had to approach it from a different angle which was why he was heading into a small bookstore.

Sophie hadn’t said if the poetry had to be written by yourself if you wanted to give it to someone. There were bound to be lots of different poetry books inside this store where Leo could choose from. He had little experience about poetry either, but he could remember Niska reading some of these books or at least the name of the authors sounded vaguely familiar to him.

Since Leo had only little time to spare he didn’t linger inside this store for too long. In the end he gave in and purchased a bundled edition of **W.B. Yeat’s** poetry because that was a name that he actually remembered. With this book and this bouquet in his hands Leo felt himself growing nervous because he had reached the final stage of his wooing plan. All that needed to do now was to take Mattie with him on their first date together and don’t screw it up.


	5. The date

Leo looked at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror while he ran his fingers through his dark hair to put it into place. Since he had been in a coma his hair had grown a fair amount and his hair had turned into a mop of black curls. A few weeks ago Leo had gotten a haircut from Mattie herself, but even now his hair was still longer than he usually went for and his curls were as strong as ever. In some way this made him look even younger than he actually was.

Perhaps it was also because he had shaved off his beard since he had arrived here. Leo looked entirely different now than he had during the last five years. Most importantly he appeared more human since he was actually living among them.

The clothes that Leo had purchased were a nice fit. They were indeed rather casual like he had intended and as Leo had put them on he could feel that pit of anxiety inside his stomach intensifying while he tugged on the sleeves of his blazer. Mattie was bound to arrive home within a matter of minutes so this was the moment of truth. Leo had already lay his gifts on her bed in her bedroom where she supposed to meet him.

His gaze went back to his reflection one final time. "You can do it, _Elster._ It’s not like she’s going to eat you alive," he tried to reassure himself, but he didn’t know what Mattie would do with him if she wouldn’t be pleased with what he had done for her and it kind of terrified him. He took in one deep breath before he hurried back into the bedroom so that he would be there before Mattie would.

As he entered he heard the sound of a car coming to a stop which could only be Mattie. Leo held onto the bouquet and the book while he did his best not to squeeze them too hard in case he would damage them before Mattie would even get here. He did his best to keep his breathing regular and steady as he ignored the frantic beating in his chest. This wasn’t the time to worry about himself.

It wasn’t that long until the door of the bedroom opened and Mattie stepped inside. She halted when she caught sight of Leo standing near her bed in formal clothing with flowers in his hands which was a sight that she hadn’t experienced before and it made her mouth fall open.

Leo cleared his throat as he flashed her his toothy smile. "These are for you," he said as he quickly handed her the bouquet. He didn’t want her to see how nervous he actually was and he hoped that he wasn’t sweating in these clothes.

"You got me flowers?" Mattie asked in bewilderment as she sniffed them.

"I didn’t know which kind of flowers you liked or if you were allergic to anything," he explained, tugging on the collar of his shirt as a nervous trait.

"I’m not allergic to flowers. At least not that I know of since no one has ever given me flowers before," Mattie replied bashfully.

"I also got you poetry," Leo blurted out as he held out the book that he had bought for her.

This made her raise her eyebrow. "I didn’t peg you as the type that read poetry," she said. "Nor did I think that you’d ever read a book by W.B. Yeats. You surprise me, Leo."

Leo chewed on his cheek. "I’m not really. I know that women like these sorts or things which is why I got them for you."

Mattie laughed at his rambling because she understood why he had done it. She closed the distance between them until their lips met and she could feel Leo relaxing against her. Her lips were gone again way too soon for Leo’s liking. Still Mattie was surprisingly close and her warm breath brushed against his cheek. "I believe that I should be thanking you for these gifts that you got me, Leo. It is exceptionally kind of you. I have to find a vase for these flowers so that won’t die that quickly."

"I already got a vase from the kitchen," Leo replied with a chuckle as he pointed towards the desk in the corner of the room. "I don’t think that anyone noticed me taking it. Not even Stanley."

Mattie’s smile increased. "Well, aren’t you a Casanova? I would’ve almost forgotten that you were actually raised by wolves." She leaned closer to kiss him gently. "Is there a specific reason why you’re doffed up like this? Not that I’m complaining since you look incredibly dapper in them, but I’m just curious."

This brought out a grin on Leo’s face because the first part of his plan had gone rather smoothly so far and he was ready to execute the rest of it. "I was kind of hoping that I could borrow your car so that you and I can go somewhere together," he responded without giving too much of his plan away.

"Where?"

"I cannot say because that would ruin the surprise."

"Do I need to doff me up like you did as well?"

Leo took in what she was wearing which were just the ordinary clothes that she wore pretty much every day to her classes and were so Mattie. It suited her.

"No, you’re fine in these clothes," he assured her. "So, can I borrow your car for a moment?"

Mattie hesitated for a moment. "I don’t know what you’re up to but you clearly have something planned for the both of us."

"Can’t a guy take his girlfriend out for a date anymore?"

At the use of the word ‘ _girlfriend_ ‘ she slightly blushed because this was the first time that he referred to her as such and that exactly what she wanted to be. "Leo, you can take me wherever you want," she made clear. "I’ll come with you and I’ll let you drive since that’s what you want."

"That is exactly what I want." He kissed her briefly as he intertwined their fingers together and escorted her out of the room and down the stairs which led them outside. Mattie handed him the car keys while he got into the driver's seat.

While he had been waiting for Mattie to arrive he had used the navigation on his phone to show him the way to the nearest beach and it would be a thirty minute drive, but that was time that he was going to be spending alone with Mattie.

As he was driving he asked her about her day at uni and she began to ramble in great detail about the assignment that she had to do. Mattie’s skills as a headcracker were much more advanced than his but he was able to understand most of what she was saying. He realized that he loved hearing Mattie talk passionately about something she found a lot of pleasure in. He could hear her talk like that for hours on end.

By the time that Leo parked the car in a rather abandoned parking lot it was around four in the afternoon. Mattie looked slightly confused when she saw where he had taken her. "You brought me to a beach?" she asked.

Leo turned his head to face her. "Yes, I thought that you and I could use a good walk along the shore while we take in the fresh air. I know I’ve been practically stuffed inside your house since I’ve arrived and you haven’t been outside that much either. Anyway this is a good opportunity for us to spend some time together without any of your relatives interfering."

"You’re not bothered with my family are you?" she asked in a playful manner.

"Hardly. It’s just that there are too many people living at your house right now because your dad is also staying there. This makes it very hard for us to be together since your house has thin walls and they hear everything. Here we don’t have to worry about that because it’s just us. Do you hate this idea because I could drive somewhere else instead or -"

Mattie silenced Leo by pressing her lips against his. "No, this idea of yours sounds great. I’ve been wanting to spend some quality time with you pretty much since you got here."

They got out of the car and were sort of swept away by the sea breeze, but thankfully it wasn’t that strong or cold today. As the got closer to the shore Mattie intertwined her fingers with Leo’s and the touch of her fingers made his heat beat frantically inside his chest, but he was grateful that she was here with him.

"Aren’t you a little bit overdressed for a walk on the beach?" Mattie asked with a grin.

Leo chuckled. "Yeah, apparently I am. You have to know that I went shopping especially to get some new clothes for this occasion. I tried not to overdo it and asked for something casual, but I still think it’s too much for just a simple walk on the beach."

"And what gave you the idea to get me some flowers and poetry?"

Leo tried to keep a straight face for as long as he could. "I asked Sophie."

He could hear Mattie laugh at his answer because that proved his desperation which she had found immensely adorable. "You asked _my_ younger sister on how to date someone?"

"Not in those specific words. I basically asked her how those princes in her fairy tales win over their princesses and she provided me with some useful advice like flowers and that I had to write poetry."

"Only you didn’t write the poetry yourself?" Mattie figured.

"Believe me when I tell you that’s not something you would like to read. I’m not a poet, but I am a romantic at heart it would seem. That is why I bought you poetry instead."

Mattie laughed instead which was kind of the reaction that he had been hoping for because it lightened his chest. "Leo, you must know that I appreciate all the effort you put into these gifts of yours and that you brought me here."

"Mattie, this is my first serious relationship and I don’t want to screw it up because this means something to me. You mean a lot to me and the last thing that I want is to fuck this up so that you would never want to see me again. I have zero experience about how to support a relationship and what kind of gifts women like which is why I was so desperate to ask Sophie for advice since there was no one else that I could turn to. This relationship is new, but I don’t want it to end while it has only just started because you think that I’m not putting enough effort into it or something. I needed you to know that I as serious about this as you are. Perhaps I’ve gotten a bit carried away because what I’m feeling is new and it kind of overwhelms me. I can’t lose you, Mattie."

She came to a halt so that she could cup his face and softly stroke his cheekbones while she gazed deeply into his eyes. "Leo, this is my first relationship as well and I hardly know how to go about it. I’m glad that we’re equally as inexperienced when it comes to this so that we at least have each other. You need to know that I’ve been having a mayor crush on you since the day after you showed me what you really were. I always had the secret hope that one day you would reciprocate my feelings, but back then I knew that was only a false illusion that I was holding onto. Then you ended up in that coma and I was convinced that I had lost my chance to ever be with you. I had never believed that shared the same feelings as I do. Yes, this relationship is brand new and our feelings still scare us at times because this is our first time. I want this relationship to work just as much as you do which is why I’m flattered that you put so much effort into your looks today and finding these gifts for me. If you must know that there is no way that you need to win me over or proof yourself to me. My feelings for you will not change."

That was the answer that Leo had been waiting for and he leaned closer so that he could hungrily kiss her. Kissing was also a pretty new territory to him, but kissing Mattie was something that he knew better than anything. He continued to kiss her there at the shoreline while Mattie wrapped herself around him.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her when he pulled back after a couple of minutes.

She grinned while she twirled a curl of his hair around her finger. "Kind of. What are you suggesting?"

Leo laughed. "How do you feel about fish and chips? There is a food stand who sells them not too far from here."

Mattie kissed him sweetly. "Sounds like an excellent plan."

He hooked his arm through hers while he escorted her back in the other direction. Thankfully he had seen that there was a small restaurant on the beach when he had searched for the directions earlier this afternoon so he knew where to go. He bought two large portions for both of them which they on an abandoned sand-dune a bit away from the shore line so that they had a little privacy.

As they ate they talked about all sorts of ordinary things and Leo realized that he had been worrying for nothing the whole day because Mattie had felt the exact same way as he did. Their relationship had surely progressed since and all of his efforts had put off because Mattie knew how serious he was about them.

"I cannot wait where you’ll bring me during our next date," Mattie said with a smile once they had finished their fish and chips.

Leo’s mouth slightly fell. "You’re already thinking about next date?"

She laughed. "Well, if you put this much effort into the first one I’m sure that the second one will be even better." Her laugh turned into a giggle when she took in the look on Leo’s face. "Don’t fret too much, Leo. After this we have to go back to my house where we’ll be surrounded by my family who sees everything. Who knows how long it will be until we’re alone again?"

At that he laughed as well. "Laura knows about us. She gave me this certain look yesterday which told me that she knew more than what she was saying, as if she was glad that it is _me_ that you’re dating. Your dad also glared at me when he saw me yesterday."

"I’m sure the rest of my family knows as well. Don’t think too much about my father because I’m sure he’ll leave again soon with Sam," Mattie replied as she leaned closer and let her hands rest on Leo’s abdomen. "We just have to make this work under the curious and interfering eyes of my family members. It’s not exactly romantic I’m sure."

"Then I really need to take you out much more so that we can get away from them from time to time," Leo suggested with a smug grin.

"Perfect, _Elster._ Now we just have to make the best of the time that we get to spend together," Mattie said as she kissed him with such an urgency that it caused Leo’s head to spin. He was thankful that Mattie was there to wrap her arm around his middle and to hold him up so that he wouldn’t fall over.

"I think I understand what your intention is," Leo said with a whisper as his nose brushed against hers. They hadn’t exactly been intimate since the first time because her family was constantly around and this was the first time that no one could interrupt them. Sure they were lying in a sand-dune but none of the visitors could see them from where they were.

Her hands found their way under his clothes and touched the warmth of his skin while she sucked onto his lower lip. "So clever," she said in amazement.

And Leo let Mattie wrap herself up around him without a moment's hesitation because he couldn’t deny them this. This moment was all about Mattie and Leo, and nothing else seemed important to them. It appeared that Leo’s wooing skills weren’t as terrible as he thought they would be.


End file.
